Rubio takes heat on immigration plan

US. Sen. Marco Rubio rode a Tea Party wave to victory in 2010 and has became a leading voice for the conservative movement over the last two years.

But you would not know either by the treatment he has received since releasing details of a comprehensive immigration reform plan.

Just in the last week, TeaParty.Org called it the "Amnesty Bill," and talk radio star Rush Limbaugh said he would never understand Rubio's plan.

Even Heritage Foundation leader and former U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint, one of Rubio's mentors, said the ideas in the bill were a violation of the rule of law.

The roughest reception had to come from author and FOX News contributor Ann Coulter, who said Rubio was telling the "Mount Vesuvius of lies about his immigration bill."

But Rubio, a Miami Republican, fought back, following up seven Sunday morning talk show appearances last week with a dozen radio interviews that included spots with Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Mark Levin, and Michael Medved, to name a few. With each stop, he sought to refute criticism that the bill would grant amnesty to undocumented people in the U.S. now.

"We're not gonna deport 11 million people," Rubio told Limbaugh in an exchange on Thursday. "The status quo is amnesty, and that's why we've come up with a process where these folks have to come forward, undergo a background check, pay a fine, start paying taxes, not qualify for federal benefits, and wait 11 years, and then the only thing they get is the chance to apply for a green card."

Rubio's Senate office followed up with nine press releases in three days aiming at what they declared are "myths" about the bill.

One was that Rubio is trying to distribute cell phones to undocumented immigrants. Critics have called it "MarcoPhone."

In an interview with Ingraham, Rubio said there is a grant program to get mobile phones to people or businesses near the border so they can report violence. He added that parts of the border are desolate and have no cell service, which prevents residents from reporting illegal border crossings.

"Because one of the complaints we got from the border region is they don't have any way to communicate with police or border patrol in time if they see something happening on the border," Rubio said.

The big public relations campaign shows how serious Rubio really is about the issue, said Ford O'Connell, a veteran GOP strategist based in Virginia. He said Rubio is showing his is "all in on immigration."

Manatee role

Former Manatee County Supervisor of Elections Bob Sweat is no longer in office, but that did not keep him from playing a role in an election reform debate in Tallahassee last week.

State Sen. Jack Latvala, R-Clearwater, referred to Sweat by name in fighting a proposed amendment to the election reform bill (HB 7013) that would have forced elections supervisors to hold early voting on the Sunday before Election Day.

Latvala said he met with Sweat recently in Bradenton and the former supervisor "begged" him not to force supervisors to hold early voting on the Sunday before Election Day. Latvala said supervisors worry about moving voting equipment from early voting locations back to regular voting sites on Tuesday for the full election.

Latvala won the skirmish. Under the legislation set for a vote in the Senate this week, elections supervisors would have the option of holding early voting on the last Sunday before the regular election date, but it would not be required.

Sen. Chris Smith, D-Fort Lauderdale, argued too much discretion for elections supervisors leads to some voters having better access to polls than others.

Sweat, a Republican, was Manatee's elections supervisor from 1985 to 2012. He did not seek re-election in 2012.

Recognizing Mahadevan

Retiring Mote Marine Laboratory president Dr. Kumar Mahadevan is in the Congressional Record.

Last week, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Longboat Key, praised Mahadevan, who is retiring as CEO and president of Mote.

"Under his leadership, Mote has grown from a small research facility to an internationally recognized laboratory of marine science and a local treasure teaching children and adults about sea life and conservation," Buchanan said in a speech submitted to Congress for the official record.

In an interview on Friday, Buchanan said Mahadevan has been such a big part of Mote and deserved the recognition.

Mahadavan has been with Mote since 1978 and has been its president since 1986.

Area political events

Today

• Buchanan speaks to the Nokomis Area Civic Association at 7 p.m. at the Nokomis Community Center, 234 Nippino Tr., Nokomis.

Tuesday

• Dan Lobeck, president of Control Growth Now, and Steve Queior, president of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, speak at a forum about Sarasota's growth management policies. The event, sponsored by the Better Government Association of Sarasota County, starts at 7 p.m. at the Waldemere Fire Station, 2070 Waldemere St., Sarasota. Free. For more information call 343-0423.

Jeremy Wallace can be reached at 361-4966 or jeremy.wallace @heraldtribune.com.

Jeremy Wallace

Jeremy Wallace has covered politics for more than 15 years.
He can be reached by email or call (941) 361-4966.
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Last modified: April 21, 2013
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